


I've Got Everything But You (Cause You Are The Only One)

by ArrowOlicityLover



Category: Chicago PD (TV)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Linstead
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-28
Updated: 2015-05-01
Packaged: 2018-03-03 23:30:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 12,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2892116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArrowOlicityLover/pseuds/ArrowOlicityLover
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>His vacation ends with the news of a disaster, heartache and the thirst for revenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gone Too Soon

**Author's Note:**

> This is a short chapter, but it's gotta be for the punch to be effective. I'm hoping to update this every day (or every few days if I can't). So enjoy, and brace yourself - I'm gonna pull us all through one hell of a ride.

Intelligence is unusually quiet when Jay walks in, returning well rested and refreshed from his holiday. It was exactly what he needed – a bit of down time to unwind from the stress of the job. Even though every night he dreamt of her. He stops at the top of the stairs, brow furrowed with concern. Since she had moved to the federal task force, it had been just the five of them – Voight, Antonio, Ruzek, Olinsky and Atwater. The latter four are sitting at their desks. The former is probably in his office – he noted the door was shut. So are the blinds, which just made the feel of the room eerier. There’d always be some kind of playful banter coming from the bullpen, even when they were hard at work gathering intelligence on their latest case.

But not today. And that’s what worried him.

“Hey, what’s with all the silence?” He says, heading for his desk. He adds, jokingly, “Did someone die?”

The following silence made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. He looks at each of them – Olinsky, Ruzek, Atwater and Antonio – and sees their gloomy faces. He notes the looks between Antonio and Ruzek across the expanse of the room, his frown deepening as he tries to figure out what is going on.

“No one told him?” Ruzek asks Antonio.

“Told me what?” Jay asks.

“No one could get in contact with him,” Antonio replies to Ruzek, ignoring Jay.

“ _Hey!_ ” Jay says, dropping his bag on his desk hard – the _bang_ causing the others to jump and look at him. He was done with being left out of the loop. “Can someone _please_ tell me what’s going on?”

The other four exchange looks.

“You know what, if you’re not gonna be honest with me, I’m gonna get it from Voight,” Jay says, turning towards Voight’s office.

“Halstead!” Antonio says.

Jay stops, and slowly turns to face Antonio. The latter walks over to him, places a hand on his shoulder guides him into the kitchen, and shuts the door. Antonio gestures for his younger colleague to sit. Jay crosses his arms, not moving from where he’s standing.

“Just tell me what’s going on.”

Antonio shakes his head. “You should sit.”

Jay knows that tactic all too well. He’s used it too many times with family members. Someone has died. He could feel it. He crossed to the table and sits down on the right seat, back to the bench where the bad tasting coffee sat brewing. Antonio took the chair directly opposite. Jay sat in silence, watching as Antonio figured out the right words to say.

“Who did we lose?” Jay asked.

Antonio hesitated. Dropped his eyes from Jay’s. Jay’s stomach back-flipped. It wasn’t one of the uniforms, like he’d been hoping. It was someone important to the team. An informant? Nadia?

Antonio’s sigh pulls him from his thoughts. “I’m not sure how to break this to you.”

“Start by telling me who,” Jay says. “Because I can’t stand not knowing any longer.”

“It’s…” Antonio shifts in his chair. And that’s when it came crashing in – that’s when he knew his worst fears had come true. He wanted to run, bile rising and burning his throat. He pushes aside the disbelief, and focuses on getting answers. Jay sits forward, arms resting on the table, leaning as close as he can to Antonio.

“Antonio.”

He waited until his friend was looking at him.

“How did Erin die?”


	2. Numb

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Intelligence Unit struggle with the news, and Jay vows to seek revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgot to say last chapter that this idea came to me when I was thinking about the start of 'Bones' 3x15 ('The Pain In The Heart', one of the few episodes I hate... but I do love some parts). Not gonna saying specifically what part, as it'll ruin a big plot twist, but I thought people should know.
> 
> This isn't overly long, but if I'm gonna churn out a new chapter every day, it's gonna have to be short.
> 
> Thanks for all the feedback - both on here and twitter. Much appreciated.

“She never should have taken that job,” Jay says, walking back into the bull pen and drawing the attention of Ruzek, Atwater and Olinsky.

“That wouldn’t have changed it,” Antonio replies, following him out.

Jay spins round to face him. “No, she would’ve had _me_.”

“You were on holiday,” Ruzek replies. “It wouldn’t have made a difference.”

Jay turns to face them all. “I went away to decompress. To escape the nagging feeling I get _every_ time that I walk in here, see _that_ desk,” he points to Erin’s desk, empty since the day she left, “and I know that she’s not coming back. That she doesn’t have my back, and I don’t have hers. So if she had stayed, I wouldn’t have been away. I would’ve been here, having my partner’s back. So yeah, it would’ve made a difference.”

There’s a beat of silence, Jay approaching his desk. “And one more thing. Stop acting like her death means _nothing_. She was – and will _always_ be a part of this family. Dismissing her death is insulting.”

“That’s not what we’re doing, Jay,” Ruzek replies.

Jay scoffs. “Sounds like it.”

“Actually we were saying you shouldn’t blame yourself for what’s happened.”

Before Jay can answer, Voight’s office door opens. “Halstead,” Voight says from his doorway.

The others all look. Voight gestures for Jay to come. The room is silent as Jay walks over. As he passes Voight, the latter pats him on the shoulder. Voight closes the door.

“How are you holding up?” Voight asks.

“Well, I just found out my partner died and I wasn’t by her side. How do you think I feel?”

“She was like a daughter to me. I understand your pain.”

“I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”

Voight nods. “We all didn’t, Halstead.”

“So… what are we going to do?”

“I’ve talked to her task force. Convinced them to let us take control of the case.”

Jay nods. “Good. Cause I refuse to let _anyone_ else find the bastard.”

“My sentiments exactly,” Voight says, nodding.

“Have we got any leads?”

“The task force is sending over everything they’ve got. It should be here some time today.”

Jay nods. “Do we… is there going to be a funeral?”

Voight nods. “Yes, but… not while the case is open.”

Jay nods. “I want to arrange it.”

Voight stares at Jay for a long minute. “Of course.”

Jay slowly breathes in, holds it, then lets it out in a big sigh. Tears threaten to escape down his cheeks. “I can’t believe she’s gone,” he says, fighting back the tears.

Voight nods. “I know,” he pulls Jay into a hug – one that startles Jay initially, for it’s not the type of thing Voight usually does. “Me too.”

The men part. “I’m here if you ever need anything,” Voight says.

Jay nods. “Thanks. And the same for you.”

Voight smiles, patting Jay’s shoulder. Jay turns to leave, his hand on the door handle before Voight speaks.

“Take the rest of the day off,” Voight says. “I’ll call when the files come in.”

Jay looks over his shoulder. “I’d rather be here. Because I know if I leave, I’ll wind up getting blind drunk at a bar.”

Voight nods. Jay opens the door and walks out.

****

Jay found himself heading for her desk instead of his following his chat with Voight. He feels closer to her by being there. Nowhere near how he feels when she’s there, the playful flirting they always had and the way she made him open up to her when he shut everyone else out. He trusted her more than anyone else, and now she was gone. _Forever_.

He sits down in her chair. All her personal items had gone when she’d left for the task force, but they hadn’t brought anyone in to take her place in the Unit. So it still felt like her desk. To Jay, it’d _always_ be her desk.

The rest of the Unit got to work – some catching up on paperwork that needed doing and served a distraction from thinking about Erin, while Antonio called in favors to get CCTV footage from the area. And Jay? He just sat there, at her old desk, staring at nothing in particular. Not a day goes by that he doesn’t miss his partner. He regrets not telling her that he’s madly in love with her, that he wants – _needs_ – to touch her, to _kiss_ her… to make love to her, and grow old with her.

Now he won’t get that.

But he can get revenge.

He _will_ get revenge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 coming... soon. Building up to a very exciting twist.
> 
> Keep the feedback coming. And feel free to post any theories you have about what's coming. Not that there's much to go on right now...


	3. Paint Me Black, Cover Me Up Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the team seek answers, Jay meets and butts heads with Erin's new partner. But the most shocking twist comes when Jay's at home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really proud that I managed to knock 2,000 words out in 24 hours. Nailed over 900 last night after posting chapter 2. Long cause there was a lot to be said between Jay and Osborne, Erin's new partner. I'm not sure where I want to go with him, but I've set myself up for several ideas.
> 
> And I recommend you brace yourself for the ending. Been eager to get to this twist - it's one of the first ideas I had for this story.

Jay folds his arms across his chest, pressing his back against the interrogation room glass. He narrows his eyes at the man sitting at the table, the man who had taken his place as Erin’s new partner, Richard Osborne.

The man that _should’ve_ had Erin’s back.

“Why are we talking in here? Our teams are working together to solve this case.”

“Yes, but my team are head of the investigation, which means you play by our rules,” Jay replies, smiling slightly. “Also… I don’t trust you right now.”

Osborne looks at him blankly for a long minute, before it all clicks. “ _Ohhhh_ ,” he says. “You’re _that_ guy.”

Jay furrows his brow, confused. “What?”

“Her ex… partner.”

Jay smiles. “Yeah,” he says, nodding slightly. “I’m the guy that would’ve had her back. Unlike _you_.”

Osborne raises an eyebrow. “You think… you think _I’m_ responsible?”

Jay shrugs. “Are you?”

“You know how it gets during a raid. You spread out, you can’t keep track of everyone.”

Jay walks forward, arms still crossed, and sits on the edge of the table next to Osborne. Jay leans closer, a small intimidating smile appearing. “You _always_ know where your partner is. Otherwise stuff like this happens.”

“You’re not intimidating.”

“Oh, I’m just getting warmed up.”

“You’re barking up the wrong tree, pal.”

Jay pouts slightly. “Don’t think so. You’re the best suspect right now.”

“Oh? How?”

“You were a candidate for the task force’s leadership role, but they gave it to Erin. That’s gotta be hard to swallow – all your years of hard work leading to what? Being second in command. Doesn’t that make you mad?”

Osborne laughs. “You’re crazy, you know that?” He says. “Pushing this absurd angle in the hope that I’ll confess. Well you know there’s three facts you’ve got wrong. One, I didn’t do it. Erin was a good cop and leader. Two, I didn’t hire a goon to do it.”

“And the third?”

Osborne looks hard at Jay. “She’s _never_ coming back. No amount of pushing for a fake confession is going to change the fact that she’s _dead_.”

Jay hard stares Osborne. “There’s one thing that makes us different, Osborne.”

“I’m not an arrogant bastard?”

Jay smiles. “Okay, two things. I’m not arrogant,” Jay says. “And I would’ve had her back.”

Jay walks out, slamming the door behind him.

****

Antonio notices Jay’s tense when he walks back into the bull pen.

“How did your chat with Osborne go?”

“Smug, arrogant bastard.”

Antonio shrugs slightly. “Eh, not all cops are as sweet as you.”

Jay sarcastically smiles. “How are you going with the CCTV footage?”

Antonio sighs. “We’re lucky to have five cameras covering the area. Two are too far away to see much, but I sent them to the lab to get enhanced,” he replies. “As for the others…” He sighs again, before turning his computer screen so Jay can see it. “All catch the shooter. But…”

“Their face is never seen,” Jay replies, seeing it for himself on the computer screen.

Antonio nods. “Not even some marker that sets them apart,” he says. “No visible tattoos… generic clothes from head to toe… nothing that stands out.”

“So we’ve basically got nothing?”

Antonio looks from the screen to Jay, and places a hand on the younger man’s shoulder. “We’re gonna solve this, Jay.”

Jay nods. “I hope so.”

Ruzek walks up the stairs from reception. “Sorry to interrupt the bromance moment, but I’ve got something.”

Antonio and Jay look at him. “What is it?” Jay asks.

“Forensics say Erin’s vest was faulty.”

Jay frowns. “ _What_?”

Ruzek nods. “They’re sending the full report to you, but they said it’s dodgy. Seems like someone _really_ wanted her to be—” He stops when Jay heads for the interrogation room. Ruzek exchanges a look with Antonio before the two follow Jay.

Jay storms into the interrogation room as the other two head into the observation room. He steps round to the opposite side of the table from Osborne, places his hands on the desk and stares hard.

“What now?” Osborne asks, clearly annoyed.

“Why did she have a faulty vest on?”

“ _What?_ ”

“You heard me.”

“I…I didn’t know.”

“If you’re gonna lie, put some effort into it… for me.”

“I’m telling the _truth_! I had no idea her vest was faulty!”

“I don’t believe you.”

“Well, maybe it’s cause you’re letting your personal feelings cloud your judgment.”

“ _Excuse me?!_ ”

“Come on, dude. It’s obvious you wanted to get into her pants. So did I, until I realized how stuck up she is. ”

“She’s only ‘stuck up’ when she’s dealing with morons like you.”

“And what about you, huh?” Osborne replies. “What does it say about you that she resorted to moving to a new team to get away from you?”

Jay steps round the table, smirking. He then grabs Osborne by his collar with both hands, pulling him to his feet and then slamming him against the wall. He leans in close.

“At least I didn’t leave her to die alone,” he says through gritted teeth.

Osborne smiles. “You know what? I wouldn’t be surprised if she arranged it all herself – the faulty vest, the guy that shot her… all to get away from _you_.”

Something in Jay snaps – he slams his forearm across Osborne’s neck, pushing so hard the latter chokes.

“Get off me.”

“No.”

“ _Get off_.”

“ _No._ ”

“Halstead!” Antonio shouts, as he and Ruzek rush in.

“You _murdered_ her!” Jay shouts, as Antonio and Ruzek try to separate them.

“ _Prove it!_ ” Osborne shouts back.

Antonio pulls Jay back, pushing a struggling Jay across the room as Ruzek keeps Osborne where he is.

“Let me at him, Antonio,” Jay says, trying to push past.

“Not going to happen,” Antonio replies, holding his ground.

“What’s going on in here?” Voight asks, walking in. He takes in the scene, especially Antonio keeping a riled up Jay back. “Alright. Halstead. Dawson. My office.”

“But—”

“ _Now_ , Halstead.”

****

Voight leads them into his office. “Shut the door,” he says, heading for his seat.

Antonio shuts the door before standing next to Jay. Voight looks at them for a moment before speaking. “Care to explain what was going on in there?”

“Ruzek found out that Erin’s vest was faulty,” Antonio says.

Voight looks confused. “And how does that explain why you,” he points to Jay, “were like a caged animal desperate to get at his prey?”

“I wanted to find out the truth, to know if he knew about the vest,” Jay replies. “I’m sorry, Voight. I lost my cool.”

“Why? What happened?”

“He was saying some pretty nasty stuff about Erin.”

Voight thinks it over. “I don’t blame you. If I were you, I would’ve roughed him up too.”

Jay nods, appreciative of the support.

“What should we do now?” Antonio asks.

“Well, I think it’s best not to let Halstead be alone with Osborne any more.”

“Sir,” Jay protests.

Voight raises his hand to silence him. “Much as I’m on your side, I’d rather not be left vulnerable for a law suit. If he is indeed behind this, then he could very well sue us for mistreatment. Much as your personal feelings are useful in this case, they’re also a major risk. Don’t let them cloud your judgment, Halstead. Don’t get too hot headed.”

Jay nods. “Yes, sir.”

“Good,” Voight replies, nodding. “It’s getting late. I think it’s best that we all go home, get some rest and we can start over in the morning.”

Antonio and Jay nod.

“Tell the others,” Voight says. Antonio and Jay head for the door. “And Antonio?”

Antonio turns back. “Yes, sir?”

“Let Osborne go.”

“ _What?_ ” Jay says, taking a step towards Voight.

“Until we have more evidence tying him to the case, he can go.”

“But he could destroy evidence we don’t have.”

“Halstead. We’ll get him.”

Jay clenches his jaw, hands curling into fists at his side. He grunts, annoyed, and then walks out, bumping Antonio as he passes.

“Keep an eye on him,” Voight says. “His anger needs to be controlled.”

Antonio nods before walking out. Jay’s collecting his belongings from his desk.

“Hey,” Antonio says.

Jay grunts.

Antonio stops in front of Jay’s desk, placing his hands on the edge, watching Jay across the other side. “I know what it’s like to lose a partner.”

Jay stops, slowly looking up at Antonio. “At least you were there when Julia went down.”

“You think that’s a good thing? Well it’s not. I keep seeing her getting shot, having her blood on my hands. I keep replaying those last few minutes I had with her over and over and over, trying to figure out where it all went wrong, what _I_ did wrong. So don’t go thinking that just cause I was there when she went down makes it any easier to deal with than you not being there for Erin.”

Jay just stares at him.

“The best thing you can do right now is to help find out why it happened. Get closure. Find who did this. And above all, control that rage. Because if you can’t, Voight’s gonna have to sideline you. And we all don’t want that. You’re the one that should be bringing justice for Erin. Don’t let your personal feelings for her destroy that.”

Jay nods. “Thanks, Antonio.”

Antonio lightly punches Jay’s shoulder. “Always here for you. Want to go get a drink?”

“Much as I appreciate the offer, I’m gonna just go home.”

“You sure?”

Jay nods. “Yeah, I…” he sighs. “I need to be alone.”

Antonio nods. “Okay,” he replies. “But if you change your mind, just call.”

Jay smiles. “Sure.”

****

Jay collapses onto his couch, bottle of beer in hand. He lets out a heavy sigh, leaning his head back against the back of the couch and closes his eyes. He’d give everything up to have her back. To have her straddle his lap, run a line of soft kisses up his neck to his lips and to become one as they make love. Never will he know how she tastes, nor how it feels to have her slender naked body pressed against his. Never will he get to say ‘I love you’ to her. Above it all, never will he get to hear her say those three words back.

He takes a long sip of beer. He’d stopped on his way home to get several six packs, fully intending on drowning his emotions with alcohol. Screw the hangover tomorrow. His partner’s gone. Permanently. He needs the escape.

It’s been months since she left Intelligence for the task force. Months he could’ve taken advantage of. He could’ve put them back on the table, could’ve given her the chance to let them as a couple happen – there was nothing stopping them anymore. Yet he let that go, let it slip through his fingers. The last opportunity he’d ever have.

He takes another long sip, downing the rest of the bottle. He leans forward, placing the empty bottle on the coffee table and reaching for another.

 _Knock, knock, knock_.

Jay looks towards his door, confused. _Who could it be?_ If it was news regarding the case, one of the others would’ve surely called. He had no one else who would come round this late.

 _Knock, knock, knock_.

He gets up, crosses to the front door and opens it. Standing there is a petite person – a teen or maybe a woman – wearing blue jeans, runners, and hands shoved deep into the pockets of a dark grey hoodie with the hood up, obscuring their face. It’s like whoever they are, they’re trying really hard to hide their identity from the world.

“Can I help you?” Jay asks, confused.

He notices them look down the corridor – first left, then right – checking if they’re alone. Then, they slowly raise their head, their face coming into the light.

Jay stands there, in disbelief. _This can’t be real!_ _I’m seeing things!_

“ _ERIN_ _?_ ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!
> 
> Where has she been? Why did they think she was dead? Will Jay tell her how he feels? Find out in Chapter 4.
> 
> Hopefully Chapter 4 will be up in a few hours... if I can knuckle down and write it... otherwise it'll be within the next 24 hours... (hopefully)


	4. With Everything I Have, I Love You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay finally discovers the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You may have noticed I changed the fic's rating to 'Mature' - that was in anticipation of this chapter.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this chapter. And forgive me if there's any mistakes - it's 1:30am here right now, and I've done a quick edit because I really wanna get it up now. (plus you try editing 2,000+ words when you're starting to fall asleep...)

He pulls her into a hug. Maybe it’s too tight, but neither seem to care. Both are just relieved to finally see each other again. She wraps her arms around him, holding him just as tight.

“I missed you,” he whispers into the crook of her neck.

“I missed you too,” she whispers back.

She kisses his neck. But one’s not enough – one turns into two, three… a whole line up to his jaw. He then kisses her cheek. Both look at each other through heavy eyelids, and before they know it, their lips meet. It’s slow, but full of longing. He slants his head, easily deepening the kiss. She rolls onto her toes, pushing closer to him, arms wrapped tight around him. He wraps an arm round her waist, holding her against him, his other hand cupping her cheek.

Breathless, they break, foreheads pressed together. He vows to himself to never let her go.

“Where have you been?” He whispers, desperate to have answers.

“That can wait,” she whispers back. “All you need to know now is that I’m sorry.”

He frowns. “Sorry? For what?”

“Sorry that you didn’t know, that you were kept in the dark,” she says, barely keeping back the tears. “I never meant for that to happen, for you to go through all that heartache.”

“What?”

“Shut up,” she whispers. “Just… shut—” She kisses him.

Taken by surprise, it takes him a moment to respond. And when he does, it’s with the full force of a dam breaking – his feelings finally allowed to be free. He pushes the door shut before pushing her against the door frame, hands slipping under her hoodie as her hands slide into his hair. He runs his hands up and down her body, memorizing everything. He didn’t think he’d ever get the chance to do this, so he’s making the most of it. She breaks the kiss, panting, desperate for air. He kisses down her neck and sucks hard on the nape of her neck, causing her to moan loudly and dig her nails into his scalp. He lifts her up with ease, her legs instantly wrapping around his waist. He continues sucking her neck – _they’ll be a hickie there tomorrow,_ she thinks, _not that I care_. She grinds her hips against him, rubbing her core against his erection. He moans loudly.

He wraps his arms around her body, holding her against him, and then steps backwards. He turns and makes his way towards his room with her in his arms. But he stops in the doorway, pinning her to the doorframe. He unzips her hoodie, slowly pulling it over her shoulders and down her arms. She’s wearing a simple black singlet underneath.

“You sure you want to do this?” He asks.

She grinds her hips against his – _hard_. He moans, closing his eyes for a moment. When he looks at her again, she smirks, eyebrow raised.

“Teaser,” he mutters.

“I’m trying to hurry you up,” she says, leaning forward to kiss his law line. She slowly runs a trail of kisses from his chin all the way up to his right ear. She gets his earlobe between her teeth and gives it a playful little tug. He moans, pressing himself completely against her, pinning her to the doorframe. She whispers right into his ear. “I want you so bad.”

He groans, before sliding his hands between them and undoing her jeans. He then lowers her till she finds her feet. He pushes her jeans down to her knees and she shimmies out of them, tossing them aside. He sheds his hoodie as she unbuttons his jeans, pushing them down to his ankles. He kicks out of them. Eyes locked with his, she slides her hand into his boxers and wraps her hand around him. He groans, closing his eyes and resting his forehead against hers. He lifts her up, pressing her against the doorframe again as he claims her lips in a rough kiss. His fingers deftly find the bottom of her singlet, and he pulls it up – breaking the kiss momentarily to pull it completely off. He tosses it aside, eyes locked with hers. He then pulls one cup of her bra down roughly, exposing her breast. He takes her nipple into his mouth, teasing her until she’s squirming and moaning with pleasure. He frees the other breast from her bra, only to tease it just like the other.

While her breast is still in his mouth, he slides a hand up her spine and easily undoes her bra – tossing it aside. With one hand on her hip, he uses the other to push his boxers down. He then gently cups her between her thighs, rubbing the heel of his hand over her undies-covered clit. She moans into his mouth, pushing her hips down to press harder against his hand. He keeps rubbing her, teasing her until her undies are soaked with her wetness. He then hooks a finger under her undies and pull it aside. He runs two fingers through her fold, watching her close her eyes from the pleasure. He grabs his member and guides himself into her, both moaning. He pulls her hips closer, sinking into her. She places her hands on his chest, neither moving while she grows accustomed to the feeling of him. She then grinds her hips, telling him to begin. He sets the pace for slow burn, wishing he could stay there with her forever.

They keep kissing, hands exploring everywhere, savoring how everything feels; the only sounds were their kisses, moans and the sound of skin against skin with every thrust. He knew what he did to her – how she responded to his fingers on her skin, his body heat forcing her eyes to close and legs to tremble – and knew she knew too. She knew he loves bringing such reactions out of her, loves giving her incredible pleasure as well as receiving it from her. She knew she also caused reactions from him – how gently touching him in certain places would cause him to thrust just a little harder, or his grip on her would tighten and he’d grunt when she playfully bit his bottom lip.

“Harder,” she moans, “harder.”

He sucks her neck as he thrusts harder. He loves the way he can pull moans from her, the way she drags her nails down his back, the way she grinds in time with him. She cups his butt with both hands, pushing him in deeper every time he thrusts in. He smirks against her neck – he finds it incredibly hot that she needs this as much as he does.

“Touch me,” she whispers.

“I am, baby,” he replies, lips brushing the skin on her neck.

She growls – a sound he likes, and wants to pull from her again – and she grabs one of his hands from her breast, guiding it down between them. She rubs his hand over her clit, showing him what she wants. He obeys, teasing her clit as he thrusts.

She adjusts herself slightly, changing the angle he’s inside her. The new angle felt heavenly – he’s hitting that sweet spot within her with every thrust, climbing closer and closer to that proverbial cliff. He takes her sensitive nub between two fingers and clicks his fingers, her nub in the middle.

Her eyes roll back. “ _Goddddddd_ , Jaaaaaaayy!” She bites her bottom lip.

“You close, baby?”

She nods, pulling him into a sloppy kiss as her hips shift harder against him to encourage him to go even harder. She could feel the tightening in her stomach – she was so close to the end of the climb, and it made her desperate to reach it.

His thrusts change to more shallow ones, keeping her on the edge. He wanted them to fall together, and he wasn’t quite there yet. She wanted him to hurry up, yet didn’t want it to end. He was making her forget the drama in her life, forget the world outside of his apartment, forget why she’d been dark for the last few days.

Jay thrusts in forcefully, sliding all the way in and hitting that sweet spot deep inside her – the one that no previous lover had truly hit. It’s enough to send her flying straight off the proverbial edge.

He falls off the cliff several thrusts later, claiming her lips in a crushing kiss that muffles their sounds of ecstasy.

He breaks the kiss, both panting and feeling thoroughly exhausted. He smiles at her, fingers entwining in her hair. “I love you,” he whispers.

“I know,” she pants. “You just showed me you do… and I love you too.”

He kisses her forehead. She then rests her head on his shoulder.

****

The next morning she slowly wakes, her senses filled with him – she could smell him, feel him beneath her, his arm draped over her and fingers lightly tracing patterns on her shoulder blade. She could hear his steady heartbeat, and knew that she was finally safe. He made her feel safe like never before.

She lifts her head, resting her chin on his chest and they smile. She could see the love in his blue eyes, the pair she’d missed seeing all these months, especially the last few days.

“I’m never letting you go,” he says, barely above a whisper.

“I never plan on leaving.”

He smiles. “Good.” He gently pulls her face up to his, gently kissing her. “Now… you gonna explain what happened?”

She explained about a case they’d been working on, how it had turned south when the team received individual death threats. They eventually found the culprits, had arrested them and thought the case was closed… until it was clear the death threats aimed at her were not only not going away, but were in fact _increasing_ in number _and_ intensity.

“And then I uncovered evidence that one of my team was a mole,” she says.

“ _What?_ ” He asks, shocked. “Who?”

“Osborne.”

He groans through gritted teeth.

“What?”

“I was talking to him yesterday,” he says. “And… I had a bad feeling about him. He’s an arrogant bastard.”

“He’s always been one. Just a bigger one now.”

He tucks a loose strand behind her ear. “That doesn’t explain how you were considered dead.”

“I took my findings to my boss. I wanted to find out what he wanted to do,” she replies. “He looked into it, and eventually communication to Osborne was uncovered, outlining a hit on me. What he didn’t know was that we knew, that _I_ knew about it. Not only that, but we set up our own version. We knew how they intended on it going down, and so we… hijacked their plan. We replaced their gunman with an undercover officer.”

He nods. “Okay… but what about the faulty vest?”

“That was Osborne’s doing. He swapped mine with it, intending on me wearing it for the deadly raid. But I knew, and swapped it back to my usual vest,” she explains. “We made it look like I got shot, the medics were in on it, taking me to the hospital. Behind closed doors, away from Osborne, they swapped the faulty vest for my usual one. It had been wreaked to match the one I’d had on, so he’d think the faulty one was the one I was wearing. I was declared ‘dead’, and any results faked to ensure our ruse was successful. We were aiming for him to gloat about it all, that we’d catch him out and nail his ass.”

He narrows his eyes. “How come we weren’t told?”

She hesitates for a moment. “You… you and Voight.” She hesitates again. “You were meant to be told. I insisted to my boss that you two be informed. Because I knew word would get back to you all that I was dead, and…” tears threaten. “I… I didn’t want you thinking it was real.”

He cups her cheek, brushing away the tears with his thumb. She closes her eyes, relaxing into his touch.

“There was some miscommunication,” she says. “I’m not sure where, but… they failed to tell you and Voight. After my ‘death’, they put me in the dark. I was isolated and completely unaware of the fact that that had happened. For the past three days, I thought you knew. I found out this morning, when I was released because Osborne had come here to talk to our – _your_ team.”

“Intelligence will _always_ be our team, Erin. Even if you’re not with us.”

She smiles. “The second I found out you and Voight hadn’t been looped in, I was out the door and coming here.” Tears fill her eyes again. “I wanted to make sure you knew the truth.”

“Hey,” he whispers. He pulls her into a kiss. “Everything’s okay now.”

She lies her head down on his chest, and he wraps his arms tighter around her.

“We’re gonna bring that smug son-of-a-bitch down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it didn't really answer many of the burning questions, but I'll get the rest of it explained over the next chapter or two.
> 
> And since it's New Year's Eve here in Australia, I'm gonna not be updating it with Chapter 5 till New Year's Day. I have plans that mean I can't work on this. But that's why I wanted to get this chapter up now - to tide you over.


	5. Turning Tables

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Erin's reunited with her old team; the plan to bring Osborne down is formed; and an unexpected ally just might not be so trustworthy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the few days of silence. Had plans on New Year's Eve... which turned into all of New Year's Day (decided to be with one of my friends an extra night) and then didn't have the muse to keep writing for a day. But I've worked hard over the last few days, churning this out. So... enjoy.

They entered the precinct through the unit’s back entry, Erin’s hood up to hide her face. They’d decided that the others needed to be told the truth, but also that her cover needed to be maintained… which meant sneaking in the back way. Because stealth was easier to get away with when you don’t have Platt’s eyes scanning the area like a hawk.

Jay leads them into the bullpen. But he barely steps into it before he sees Voight and Olinsky leading Osborne from the interrogation room into the bullpen. Jay grabs Erin, quickly backing them up against a wall to get out of Osborne’s sight.

“What is it?” Erin whispers.

“Voight and Olinsky have Osborne,” he whispers back, pinning her to the wall. He peeks round the corner, quickly ducking back as he says, “ _Shiiiiiiiit_.”

“What?”

“They’re coming this way.”

Erin looks down, keeping her face in as much shadow as possible. Jay tries to stand as at ease as he possibly can. Voight, leading the others, notices Jay standing there.

“Halstead?”

“Hey, Voight.”

“Whose this?” Voight asks, pointing at Erin.

“New informant,” Jay replies. “For the case. Erin’s case.”

“What’s with the hoodie?” Olinsky asks.

“Doesn’t want to be identified by anyone out of our team,” Jay replies. “For her own safety.”

Voight nods. “Well, she’s in capable hands.”

Voight takes several steps in the direction Jay and Erin had just come from.

“Uh, Voight.”

Voight stops and turns to look at Jay.

“I think you should hear what she has to say.”

Voight nods. “Wait in my office.”

Jay nods. He watches as Voight and Olinsky take Osborne out. He then takes hold of Erin’s arm and pulls her into Voight’s office. He pulls down the blinds on the windows into the bullpen, including the one on the door but leaves the door open.

They only have to wait a few minutes for Voight to return, Erin keeping her head down the whole time. Voight notices the blinds and shuts the door.

“Show him,” Jay says.

Erin lifts her head as she pushes the hood back. Both she and Jay watch Voight as it hits him. Erin was expecting the teary eyes. She wasn’t expecting the rib-crushing hug her father figure gave her.

****

“This is everything?” Voight asks, flipping through the papers Erin had handed him moments ago.

Erin nods. “Everything except a confession. There’s just some things we can’t nail him for without a confession.”

Voight nods. “Don’t worry. We’ll get it.”

She nods.

“At least I understand why you were so secretive out there when he was around.”

“I’m sorry about that. We need him to think I’m dead.”

“Don’t be sorry, Erin. I understand.”

“So,” Jay says. “How do we handle this?”

Voight looks at Erin. “Are we working alone on this?”

“Much as my team are good people,” Erin says. “I… I just can’t trust any of them right now. I still don’t know how you weren’t kept in the loop.”

“There might be more than one mole,” Jay adds.

“It’s a possibility,” Erin replies.

Voight nods. “Okay,” he says. “Everything from now on stays in house, unless I say it’s okay to bring someone in.”

Erin and Jay nod.

****

Voight called Olinsky, Antonio, Ruzek and Atwater into the Unit’s locker room for absolute privacy. The latter four are surprised when they arrive and find Erin standing there with Jay and Voight. Each of them hug Erin.

“Good to have you back,” Ruzek says, hugging Erin.

“Thanks, Adam.”

They part. “Is this gonna be permanent?”

She looks at Voight. “Maybe.”

“You’re always welcome back here,” Voight says.

She smiles and nods.

“So our target’s Richard Osborne?” Ruzek asks.

“That bastard’s going down,” Jay says, with a determined look. Erin looks at him with a raised eyebrow.

Voight nods. “Much as I want to see him six feet under, he needs to pay for what he’s been up to. So take him down alive.”

“So what’s the plan?” Antonio asks.

“We bring him in, put him in the cage, and…”

The others wait for him to continue.

“And?” Olinsky asks.

“We’ll go from there.”

“As in, you’re gonna rough him up,” Erin replies.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to get that confession out of him. No holding back when he’s in our custody.”

“I appreciate what you all are doing for me with this, but… let’s be careful how we handle it. Because if this ends up going to trial, I don’t want his lawyer to pin any counter charges on you for abusive behavior.”

“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Voight says, receiving a disapproving look from Erin. “Everyone suit up. Let’s go bring him in.”

They all head to their lockers to get their vests. Jay’s cell rings.

“Hello?” He answers. He listens to the person on the other end. “Okay, I’ll be down in a few minutes.”

He hangs up. Erin’s watching him as she puts on her vest.

“Who was that?” She asks.

“Platt,” he replies, putting his vest on. “One of your co-workers is here.”

Erin freezes. “Who?”

He looks at her. “Uh, she said… Jacob Mendes.”

Erin relaxes.

He looks at her, concerned. “Everything okay?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Fine.”

He closes his locker and walks over to hers. He leans in close to her. “Talk to me.”

“There’s nothing to say, Jay.”

He studies her expression. “You sure.”

She smiles a little. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

He looks at her for a long moment before nodding. “Okay,” he replies, barely above a whisper. He continues normally. “If you wanna talk about it later… we can.”

She nods. “I’ll keep it in mind.”

He gently squeezes her shoulder before turning to leave. He takes several steps before he stops and looks back at her. “Anything I need to know about Mendes?”

She looks confused. “Like what?”

He shrugs. “Dunno,” he replies. “Anything.”

“He’s a nice guy,” she replies. “Good at what he does. Reliable.”

“He’s not going to turn out to be another jerk like Osborne?”

She smiles. “Not all of my team are like Osborne.”

“But you don’t trust them anymore.”

“I don’t trust them with this _case_.”

He nods. “Okay.” He heads for the door.

“Jay.”

He stops, turns back.

“Go easy on him,” she says. “Okay?”

He smiles. “Sure.”

“Oh, I know that smile. You better not be planning on not doing it.”

He raises his hands in surrender. “I totally plan on being as nice as I possibly can with him.”

****

Jay walks down the stairs into reception. Platt makes eye contact with him and then points to a man around Jay’s age sitting on one of the benches. Jay nods in thanks to her as he crosses to the man. Jay notes how similar the man looks to himself. _No wonder she likes him_ , he thinks.

“Jacob Mendes?” Jay asks.

Jacob looks at him. “Yeah,” he replies, standing up. “You must be Detective Halstead.”

They shake hands.

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Jacob says.

“Thanks. I’m also sorry for your loss.”

Jacob shrugs. “I didn’t know her like you did.”

“Still… a loss is a loss.”

Jacob nods. “How’s the investigation going?”

“Slow. Not much to go on,” Jay replies. “Is that all you came here for? You didn’t have to come down here. I would’ve been more than happy to talk over the phone.”

“I actually wanted to help out with the case,” Jacob replies. “I want to help bring whoever did this to justice. I’m sure you understand.”

Jay nods. “I do. But… it’s not my call. I need to check with my boss.”

Jacob nods. “Yeah, sure. Go do that. I understand.”

“Wait here. I’m gonna give him a call.”

Jay crosses to the stairs, pulling out his phone. He calls Voight. “Voight. Is everyone there? Put me on speaker.”

There’s a pause. “Okay, go Halstead.”

“I’m in reception. Just talked to Jacob Mendes, one of Erin’s co-workers,” he says. “He wants in on the action. Wants to help us.”

“Lindsay?” Voight asks.

“Letting him in means telling him I’m not dead,” she replies. “He could tell the others… which could easily get back to Osborne. Not all the team knew what he was up to.”

“Is that a risk you wanna take?”

There’s a long pause. “I dunno.”

“Erin,” Jay says. “Trust your gut.”

She sighs. There’s a pause, and a click – then he can only hear her voice. “I… I’m not sure.”

“You like him.”

“I also don’t think I can trust any of them.”

“Okay… you’re always telling me to follow my gut instinct more often.”

“So?”

“Take your own advice, Erin,” he says. “Either we let him in, or I tell him no.”

She sighs. “Get him to promise that whatever he hears from us stays between us and him. No communication with the rest of the task force. No updates whatsoever.”

Jay nods. “I’ll bring him round if he agrees.”

Jay ends the call before heading back to Jacob.

“So… am I in?” Jacob asks.

Jay nods. “If you agree to a few rules.”

****

Voight, Erin, Antonio, Ruzek, Olinsky and Atwater are checking over their weapons, making sure everything’s in order. Voight’s cell buzzes. He checks the message.

“Okay, Halstead’s bringing him round,” Voight says. “Erin. Keep out of sight. I don’t want him learning the truth until I can get a read on him.”

Erin nods then disappears into the weapons room. A few minutes later, Jay and Jacob walk into the main area.

“Jacob. This is my boss, Sergeant Hank Voight,” Jay says, pointing to Voight.

“Nice to meet you, Mendes,” Voight says, shaking his hand.

“Nice to meet you too,” Jacob replies. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Wish I could say the same about you.”

Jacob meets the rest of the team.

“Thanks for allowing me to help you,” Jacob says. “She was a good cop. I’d like to honor her by doing everything I can to bring her killer to justice.”

Voight nods and then looks at Jay. “He agreed to the terms?”

“Would he be standing here if he didn’t?”

Voight looks at Jacob. “Here’s the deal. This is my unit. My rules. I appreciate the help, we all do. You do as you’re told, and if you cross that line, you’re out on your ass so fast you won’t even blink.”

Jacob nervously swallows. “Yes, sir.”

“Everything stays in this unit. There’s to be no – and I mean _no_ – communication with your colleagues. We’re not working with them on this. I’m allowing you to be a part of this for Erin. It’s not a favor for your task force, it’s personal. So there will be absolutely _no_ passing on of information. What you hear from us and what you hear from people we interview… it all stays between _us_ ,” Voight gestures to the group. “Mark my word, Mendes. You fail to do it, and I will make your life miserable.”

Jacob looks at Jay.

“I wouldn’t mess with him,” Jay says. “Unless you want to end up at the bottom of the Chicago river.”

Jacob looks scared. “Are you joking?”

“I wish I was.”

Jacob looks at Voight. “I promise.”

“He means it,” Erin says over the comms, the Intelligence Unit all hearing it in their earpieces.

Voight nods. “Good,” he says. “Now, what you’re about to be shown is a _very_ classified piece of information. One that I’m trusting you will adhere to your promise with.”

Jacob nods.

Voight grabs his comms. “Okay, come out.”

Everyone looks at the weapons room. Erin slowly walks out.

“What the…” Jacob says, shocked.

“Hey, Jacob,” Erin replies, walking over to him.

“But… but… you’re dead.”

“It was a ruse.”

“What for?”

Erin tells him everything. “By that stage, I didn’t know who I could trust from our team. I was meant to trust Osborne, and…”

Jacob shakes his head. “It’s okay. I would’ve done the same thing if our places were switched.”

She nods. “That’s why I told Voight to let you in. You’re a good cop.”

“Well I’m glad you trust me.” Jacob looks at the others. “All of you.”

“Thanks for coming and offering your help.”

“No worries. I couldn’t just sit there and do nothing when your… uh, killer… is out on the streets.”

“Lets get you a vest and a gun,” Voight says. “Then we can get this moving.”

****

Jacob slips away from the Intelligence team while they finish getting ready to go. He pulls out his cell, checks to make sure he’s alone before dialing a number.

“Hey, it’s me,” he says into his cell. “I’m in. And you won’t _believe_ who I just saw.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 6 coming soon.
> 
> I'd love to hear what people think is coming up. Especially with the twist end. Because I don't think anyone will pick it.


	6. Chasing Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As the team closes in on Osborne, Jay's suspicions of Jacob lead to a surprising revelation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait. Got caught up with other things... mainly Linstead actually happening in the show. But here it is!!! :)

“JAAAAAYYYYY!!!” Erin shouts as she runs towards him, Atwater only a few paces behind. “JAY! STOP!”

All that comes in reply is a noise that makes Erin and Atwater freeze.

_A gunshot_.

****

**Three Hours Earlier**

Jay watches Jacob slip back inside the back entrance. _Something’s just not right about him,_ Jay thinks.

“We go to Osborne’s address, and let’s bring him in,” Voight says to the team.

“How much force do you want us to use?” Ruzek asks.

“Just don’t shoot him,” Voight says. “Unless necessary.”

The others nod.

“Mendes,” Voight says. “You’re with me and Antonio.”

Jacob looks surprised. “I’m not with Lindsay?”

Voight steps into Jacob’s personal space. “Remember you do as I say. That’s the deal.”

Jacob nods, intimidated.

“Good,” Voight says, turning to the others. “Let’s go.”

Everyone heads for their cars. Jay catches Erin’s arm.

“I just want to make a quick call,” Jay says.

She narrows her eyes for a moment, then nods. “Okay. Meet you at the car. Don’t be long.”

He watches her walk off as he gets his cell out. “Hey Roman, it’s Jay Halstead,” he says into it. “I need you to do me a favor.”

****

The Intelligence Unit and Jacob Mendes get into position outside Osborne’s house, Erin wearing a cap to try and hide her identity… at least for a while. Voight signals for Jay and Erin to cover the back entrance – Jay leading them down the side. He positions himself at the back edge of the house, using the house as a shield as he aims his gun at the back door. Erin positions herself close by.

Jay looks back down the way they’d come, to Antonio, nods and signals that it’s clear. Antonio nods and then signals to Voight.

Voight knocks on the front door. “Chicago P.D! Open up!”

No response. Voight nods at Atwater as he backs away from the door. Atwater uses the battering ram to open the front door, Antonio the first to enter, closely followed by Ruzek and Mendes. The team searches the ground floor of the house – Erin and Jay meeting them inside. Voight signals for the first floor, Jay leading the group up. But they clear that – with no sign of Osborne. The team regroups in the lounge room on the ground floor.

“Mendes. Erin,” Voight says. “Do you know where he could be?”

Erin and Mendes think.

“I’m not sure where he’d be,” Erin says. “Chicago’s not our home base.”

“This is the only place I knew about here,” Mendes says.

“I’ll get a warrant organized, get his cell pinged, see if we can get a location,” Ruzek says.

Voight nods. Ruzek steps away, pulling out his cell.

“Let’s search this place, see if he’s left any clues behind as to where he is,” Voight says to the others.

They split up across the house, Jay and Erin taking the first floor.

“Any luck?” Jay asks, walking into the room Erin’s in several minutes later.

She shakes her head. “Nothing that could help us,” she replies. “He’s a cop, like us. He’s not going to make it easy.”

Jay walks over to her. He places his hand under her chin and gently turns her to look at him. “Don’t compare him to us. We’re _nothing_ like him.”

She nods. “I know,” she replies. “I just meant he has the training. He knows what we’re looking for. He’d cover his tracks.”

He smirks.

She narrows her eyes. “What?”

“Well,” he says. “He’s clearly underestimated us.” She narrows her eyes. “The unit,” he quickly adds.

“Yeah,” she nods. “We will get him.”

He nods, and then smiles.

****

Within an hour, the warrant to ping Osborne’s cell has come through, and the team are back in their office anxiously waiting the results. Ruzek’s phone pings with a message, Ruzek snatching it up off his desk. The others watch him, waiting.

He nods. “Gotcha.”

“Okay,” Voight says. “Text the address to the others. Let’s go.”

****

“Why is it that we always end up in the industrial part of town for these take downs?” Ruzek asks, as the team gathers outside a warehouse, prepping to storm it for Osborne.

Jay pouts slightly. “Just how Chi-town’s bad side works.”

“Actually, it’s for the privacy. You can get away with more stuff out here compared to being in a house, surrounded by witnesses,” Erin says.

Jay and Ruzek look at her with raised eyebrows.

“What?” She replies. “You didn’t consider that?”

“Alright,” Voight says, interrupting them before Hay or Ruzek can respond. “Lindsay, Halstead, Atwater – take the North entrance. Everyone else will be with me. We breach on my command. You have to shoot, only injure him enough to make the arrest. No killing.”

The team nod.

“Good,” Voight says. “Let’s do this.”

They split up – Jay, Erin and Atwater reaching the North door in less than 10 minutes. Atwater checks the door for any trip wires or explosives as Erin and Jay cover him.

“All clear,” Atwater says.

“Voight, we’re all clear up here,” Erin says into her radio, as the guys get into position to breach. “Ready to breach when you are.”

“Breach on three,” Voight says. “One… two… three.”

Atwater opens the door. Jay goes in, gun raised, with Erin at his back. Atwater joins them. They clear the immediate area, and then make their way through the space. A few minutes later, they hear gunshots coming from another part of the warehouse.

“Need backup _immediately!_ ” Voight shouts through the radio.

“On our way,” Jay replies as they rush off towards the gunshots.

It doesn’t take them long before they reach the stand off. Jay notices a walkway above the gunfight. He taps Erin on the shoulder, getting her attention, before pointing to the stairs nearby. She nods. The three of them head up, Jay choosing a spot that provides good cover. He gets himself settled, steadying his rifle on a box. He locates Osborne through his rifle’s scope, aiming at Osborne’s wrist. He takes a moment to steady himself – breathes in deep, holds, releases. Then pulls the trigger.

Osborne drops his gun, crying out with pain as he clutches his injured wrist. Jay watches through his scope as Voight, Antonio and Ruzek move in. Jay pulls back, turning to look at Erin and Atwater.

“Let’s go show him you’re not dead,” Jay says.

****

“Voight!” Jay calls out as Voight, Antonio and Ruzek are about to take Osborne off to the cars.

Voight stops, looking at Jay.

“Hold up,” Jay says. “I got something to show him.” He thinks. “Actually… two things.”

Voight considers it. Then nods.

Jay stops right in front of Osborne. “See this?” He asks, holding up his rifle. “This is the rifle I just used to bring you down. I would’ve aimed it at your head, but that would’ve meant you wouldn’t have suffered quite as much. And you _deserve_ to _suffer_.”

Osborne laughs, evilly. “You sure about that, Halstead? After I showed your ex-partner _no mercy_ when I had her _murdered_.”

Jay folds his arms across his chest and smirks. “About that…”

Jay nods at Atwater, who steps aside, revealing Erin to Osborne. Osborne’s smug smile fades when he sees Erin standing there.

“As you can see, _Osborne_ , your plan _failed_. Erin found out about it, and played _you_ ,” Jay says, smirking. “Everything on the day was staged – the gunman was hers, the vest was swapped _twice_ to make it look like you’d succeeded… and you’re going to wish you had succeeded… because Erin’s built quite a substantial case against you. One that’s going to give you a far _harsher_ sentence than the murder charge.” Jay steps well into Osborne’s personal space. “So I _am_ sure about not dropping you. That would’ve been an escape for you… and that’s not my intention.”

Osborne stares at him, trying to intimidate Jay. Jay smiles – that scary, intimidating, no teeth one.

“You don’t intimidate me, Osborne,” he says. “ _Not. One. Bit._ ”

He maintains eye contact with Osborne for another minute, before he says, “Get him outta here.”

Ruzek and Antonio guide Osborne away.

“Mark my word, Halstead,” Osborne says, struggling to stay. “I’ll hunt you down! And I’ll make _sure_ that you die! So will Lindsay!!!”

Jay shakes his head. “Unbelievable,” he mutters.

“Everyone back to the precinct,” Voight says.

They all head out. As they walk, Erin nudges Jay’s arm.

“You okay?” She asks, voice low so only they hear.

He nods. “Yeah,” he quietly replies. “You?”

“Peachy,” she replies, smiling. She then lightly punches his arm, before picking up her pace and walking off ahead of him. He watches her, and smiles.

****

As Jay gets out of their car at the precinct, his cell rings. “I’ll meet you inside,” he says to Erin, who nods and walks off.

He accepts the call. “Hey Roman.”

“Hey, Halstead,” Roman replies. “I did what you asked me to.”

“What did you find?”

****

Jay found the others standing in the back area. “MENDES!”

Jacob looks at him. “What’s up, Halstead?”

Jay slams his fist into Jacob’s face. Jacob stumbles back, clutching his face as the others intervene.

“What the hell Jay!” Erin says, holding him back.

“He’s getting paid by Osborne!” Jay says aggressively to her.

“ _What?_ ” Erin asks, shocked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not everything is as it seems.
> 
> Trust me ;)
> 
> I promise that opening scene is gonna come back into play. Spontaneously decided to cut this chapter shorter than I'd planned.


	7. The Snake's Head

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team chase down who is behind Erin's attempted murder, and exactly who Jacob is working for is revealed. Will Jay risk it all to capture the culprit?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Firstly, I just want to apologize for the massive delay on this. I've had computer issues since the last chapter went up, and that's taken my attention away from this (& I admit I kinda forgot that my little "break" from writing this was meant to be short, but ended up being over a month.). But it's here now.

“Don’t you get it? He’s _working_ _for Osborne!_ ” Jay shouts.

“How do you know that?” Ruzek asks.

“Something felt… _off_ with him,” Jay replies. “So I asked Roman to check him out for me. And you know what he came back with? That our so-called _ally_ ,” he glares at Jacob, “is in fact getting paid a _huge_ amount by Osborne.” Jay points to Jacob. “He sent you to spy on us, didn’t he?” He steps towards Jacob, Erin quickly grabbing his arm to stop him. “And I wouldn’t be surprised if he tipped Osborne off about us coming to get him earlier.”

“It’s not what you think!” Jacob shouts, being held back by Atwater and Ruzek.

“How about I show you the bank statement that _proves_ that Osborne’s been paying you _five thousand dollars_ every couple of weeks!” Jay shouts. “How about that for proof that you’re a _lying scumbag_?!”

“Erin, just let me explain!” Jacob pleads.

“Don’t, Erin,” Jay says. “He helped the man who tried to kill you. We _never_ should have trusted him.”

She thinks for a minute, then nods. “Okay,” she says. “Let him talk.”

“ _What?_ ” Jay says, taking a step closer to Erin.

She places a hand on his upper arm, trying to calm him. “I’m not going to judge him until I’ve heard his side.”

“Are you _kidding_ me?!”

“ _Hey!_ ” She snaps, before continuing normally. “You’ve had your chance to talk. Let him have the same.”

Jay clenches his jaw. He then walks off to put his guns away.

Erin turns to Jacob. “You want to explain yourself? Now’s the time. Don’t make me regret this.”

Jacob nods, before looking at Atwater and Ruzek. “Mind getting off me now?”

Atwater and Ruzek let him go.

“Yes, I’m receiving money from Osborne,” Jacob says. “ _But_ it’s not…” He sighs. “Look, I’m not one of his crew, okay?”

“So why is he paying you?” Ruzek asks, folding his arms over his chest.

“Because he _thinks_ I’m one,” Jacob replies. “I’m undercover, trying to bring that crooked cop in. Exactly like you all are.”

“ _Have_ ,” Ruzek says. “In case you forgot, we got the guy.”

Jacob nods. “I know you have. And I’m grateful that you did.” He looks at Voight. “Look, you don’t have to believe me. But you can find out the truth.”

“I’m listening,” Voight says.

“I made a call. Right before we left for Osborne’s place. I called my boss. You can call him. He’ll verify everything I told you. He’ll even provide the proof that I don’t have on me.”

Voight stares at him, thinking it over. He then nods, and says, “Give me your cell.”

Jacob gets his cell out and hands it to Voight, who takes it. Voight looks at Atwater. “Don’t leave him alone.”

Atwater nods, “Yes sir.”

Voight looks at Erin. “Keep your partner in line.”

She nods. Voight heads up stairs to his office with Jacob’s cell.

Jay comes out of the gun room. Erin looks at Atwater, and tilts her head towards the other side of the room. Atwater nods, before guiding Jacob over there. Erin intercepts Jay.

“You guys believe him?” Jay says quietly, but with anger.

“Just give him the benefit of the doubt,” she quietly replies. “Now come with me.”

She pushes him towards the stairs. He reluctantly goes, giving Jacob a hard glare.

****

Erin pushes Jay into the locker room. “Okay, what the hell is going on with you?”

He looks confused. “What?”

“Your behavior down there.”

“He _lied_ to us, Erin!” Jay exclaims. “How can you be so calm about that?”

“He’s undercover. You of all people should know that you have to lie to protect your identity.”

“Yes, but… to _us_?” He asks. “We’re on his side, and he hid it from us.”

“Why are you so fired up over this?”

“Because of you,” he says. “Because all of this came into my life because they tried to kill you. And I’m done with all these bullshit lies that tangle everything up.”

“Hey, we’re gonna solve this case. We always do…”

He shakes his head. “What if we don’t?”

“Jay…”

“I lost you,” he says, barely holding back tears. “I lost you and I was barely keeping myself together so I could find who took you away from me. That was just the start of this… this _craziness_.”

“But you _haven’t_ lost me.”

He nods. “I know,” he whispers. He steps closer, cupping her face with both hands. “But for a while I thought I had. And then everything else happened, and…” He sighs, really struggling to keep back his tears. “It’s just been one crazy thing after the other.”

She nods. “I understand,” she says. “But… lashing out at Jacob?”

He sighs. “Stupid, I know.”

“Out of character.”

“I lost my cool. I let recent events push me over the edge, and I’m sorry.”

“I’m not the one you should be apologizing to.”

He sighs, and then nods, knowing who she’s talking about. He leans in to kiss her, but she pulls back.

“Not here,” she says.

He looks at her, pleadingly.

“Anyone could walk in.”

He inhales deeply, barely hiding his eye roll. “Yeah,” he mutters.

“Tonight. My place.”

He pushes her back gently, pinning her to the door. He leans in close, like he’s going to kiss her, but stops just before their lips touch.

“I’ll hold you to that,” he whispers.

She raises her eyebrow. “Oh, _really_?”

He groans, before gently taking hold of her chin. “I want you _so_ _bad_ right now.”

She smirks. They stare at each other for a minute, broken when his eyes drop to her lips.

A double rap on the door causes Jay to quickly step back, letting her go.

“What’s going on in there?” Ruzek’s voice comes through the door.

Jay makes eye contact with her, then licks his lips. She takes a step forward, getting so close to him the tension flies, but she turns and opens the door. Ruzek looks surprised.

“Sorry, Ruzek,” Erin says. “I was leaning on the door.”

Ruzek looks from her to Jay, quietly noting the sexual tension. He looks back at Erin and nods. “Sure,” he says, with a note of sarcasm. “Voight wants us all in the bullpen.”

“What’s going on?” Jay asks.

“Jacob’s been talking,” Ruzek replies. “And before you ask what, just come.”

Erin and Jay exchange looks.

“Okay,” Erin says.

“Also… I’m sorry,” Ruzek says. “You know, for interrupting this…” He gestures between Jay and Erin. “Whatever naughty stuff you were about to do.”

“Ugh,” Erin says, rolling her eyes. “Grow up.”

Ruzek smirks. “Only when you admit that I’m right.”

Erin pushes him back, slipping past him and heading for the bullpen.

“You know I’m right!” He calls after her.

“Kiss my ass, Ruzek!” She calls back.

“Gladly!” He replies.

Jay steps up next to him. “Hey, man,” he says. “Lay off her.”

“It’s just a bit of harmless flirting.”

“Yeah?” Jay raises an eyebrow. He pouts slightly as he shrugs. “Should I tell Burgess that you’re flirting with Erin?”

Ruzek narrows his eyes. “I was right.”

“What?”

“I was right,” Ruzek says. “There _is_ something going on between you two!”

Jay scrunches his face up. “ _Noooo_.”

Ruzek smiles, chuckling as he pats Jay’s shoulder. “Sure.”

Ruzek walks off, still chuckling, leaving a stunned Jay standing there. Jay snaps himself out of his thoughts, and follows Ruzek.

****

Jacob sticks a photo of a man on the whiteboard. “This is Aaron Sykes,” Jacob says, pointing to the photo as he looks at the Intelligence Unit.

“What does he have to do with my attempted murder?” Erin asks.

“He’s the head of the snake.”

Erin looks surprised. “Never heard of him.”

“So… not a personal hit,” Ruzek says.

“Not necessarily,” Jay says. Erin turns to him, wide eyed, eyebrow raised and arms crossed over her chest. “For all we know, there may be someone who hired Sykes to do all of this.”

Ruzek crosses his arms. “So someone hired Sykes… who hired Osborne… who hired someone else to shoot Erin?”

Jay shrugs. “I’ve heard of a lot more complicated assassination attempts than this.”

“What we need to do now, is get as much information as we can about him,” Voight says, stepping over to the whiteboard. “Anything that we can use to bring him down.”

“I look into why I was targeted.”

Voight nods. “Halstead. Help her.”

Jay nods.

“We know he’s based in Seattle,” Jacob says. “But we believe he’s making Chicago his new stomping ground.”

“He’s messing with the wrong city,” says Antonio.

Voight nods. “Get to work.”

****

The team & Jacob get out of their cars outside a large, old five-story building owned by Sykes. The team gather on the sidewalk outside one of the neighboring buildings.

“Halstead, Lindsay, Ruzek and Antonio. Cover the back,” Voight says. “Atwater, the battering ram. On my command, we enter. Clear each floor until we find the bastard.”

“That’s if he’s even in there,” Ruzek mutters.

“You can take watch, if you want,” Jay replies.

“How about we just do this,” Erin interjects. “The more time we waste standing here, the more time he has for seeing us and making an escape.”

Antonio nods. “We’ll take the first floor.”

Voight nods. “Everyone with me will take the ground floor.”

****

“Level three clear,” Antonio says through the radio.

“Level two also clear,” Voight responds through the radio. “Everyone meet on three, East side. We’ll do four together.”

“Voight. Lindsay and I are already on the West side,” Jay says into his radio. “There’s an internal fire escape staircase that goes all the way up. We could start from this end, meet you in the middle.”

“Ruzek and I can be with them in a few minutes,” Antonio adds.

There’s a pause before Voight says, “Okay. Do it.”

****

Jay topples to the ground, hitting the metal of the gangway suspended above the top floor. He looks up in time to see, in the low light, Sykes scrambling to his feet before running off the way Jay had come. Jay gets up and chases.

Sykes reaches the end of the gangway, but instead of going down the winding staircase, he leaps over the railing, dropping to the floor below.

Jay effortlessly vaults over the railing, hitting the floor just a little harder than he wanted and falls over.

“Jay?” Erin calls.

But Jay gets to his feet and chases after Sykes, following him into the Western fire escape.

“JAY!” Erin shouts as Jay pushes through the door into the fire escape.

He runs down the stairs after Sykes.

“ _JAY!_ ” Erin shouts, from the landing at the top of the stairs, looking down over the railing trying to spot Jay.

Jay grabs his radio, not slowing his pace. “He’s heading down. Someone cut him off on the ground floor.”

Just before the first floor, Jay hops over the railing, dropping down and slamming feet-first into Sykes. The two exchange blows, before Sykes gets away. Jay follows him into the first floor. Sykes gets halfway across the floor when Jay catches up, tackling him to the ground.

****

“JAAAAAYYYYY!!!” Erin shouts as she runs towards him, Atwater only a few paces behind. “JAY! STOP!”

All that comes in reply is a noise that makes Erin and Atwater freeze.

 _A gunshot_.

Erin and Atwater burst through the door into level one.

“ _JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYY!!!!_ ” Erin screams.

They race around a partition, Erin desperate to know that Jay’s okay.

Her whole world stops at the sight of two bodies on the ground near each other right in the center of the large room – both _very_ still. She instantly recognizes Jay’s the one to her left, lying on his back. She can’t breathe.

Atwater places his hand on her shoulder, pulling her back to reality. Both raise their guns and cautiously approach.

Erin makes eye contact with Atwater, before signaling for him to check Sykes. As they approach, the scene becomes clearer – both men have their weapons drawn, both unconscious and… Erin’s heart leaps to her throat when she spots the pool of blood between Jay and Sykes.

Erin steps beside Jay’s right side, gun aimed at Sykes while Atwater steps behind him. Atwater crouches down and checks Sykes’ pulse. After a minute, he looks up at Erin… and shakes his head.

“Hey,” Atwater says, noticing Erin’s worried look. “The blood has gotta be Sykes’.”

“Could be a mix of them,” she replies, lowering her gun and crouching down.

She inhales sharply as she takes in the bruises along his left cheek, as well as the cut to his lip. She wonders how many more injuries are hidden beneath his shirt. She touches his neck, desperate to know if he’s alive.

She holds her breath, waiting for his pulse. Relief rushes through her when she feels it. It’s weak – barely there – but it’s there. And that’s enough for her.

“Atwater, Lindsay, Halstead. Report!” Voight barks through the radio.

Atwater grabs his. “We’re on level one, sir. Suspect is down, Halstead is down.”

“Is he shot?”

“Negative, Hank,” Erin replies into her radio. “Just bruised and unconscious.”

“Good. We’ll regroup where you are.”

“Yes, sir.”

Radio goes silent.

“Think we should call for two ambulances?” Atwater asks.

Erin shakes her head. “Just call for one.”

He nods, before getting up and walks off as he calls it in over his radio – his voice fading in Erin’s ears as she focuses on Jay.

“Come on, Jay,” she whispers. “Wake up.”

She runs her fingers lightly through his hair. She knows she should check him for more injuries, but she can’t bear to know the full extent. _Not right now_.

He groans, then slowly opens his eyes. She leans forward, placing a hand on his chest to steady herself.

“Way to give me a fright, Jay.”

He smiles. “Did I get him?”

She frowns. “You don’t remember?”

“Would I be asking if I did?”

She points at Sykes, and he slowly turns to look. “Huh,” he says. “Guess I did.”

“ _Guess_?” She says, eyebrow raised. “You shot him. Which, for the record, when I can’t see what’s going on, it makes me _extremely_ worried that the next thing I see will be _your dead body_.” She pokes his chest. “And that _very_ nearly came true today!”

“Hey,” he softly says, taking hold of her hand that’s on his chest. “I’m okay.”

“Yeah,” she replies. “For _now_.”

He smiles, softly chuckling.

She frowns. “What?”

“Just thinking how, over the last few days, we’ve both believed the other was dead.”

She punches his arm with her left hand. “That’s no laughing matter.”

“Just trying to cheer you up,” he replies, with a smile. “And it seems to have worked.”

She rolls her eyes, just as Atwater returns.

“Hey brother,” Atwater says with a nod.

“Hey,” Jay replies.

“Dispatch is sending an ambulance and forensics.”

Erin nods. “Voight will be happy.”

“Happy about what?” Voight asks, as he and the others approach.

Erin withdraws her hand from Jay’s, conscious of what it might signal to Voight.

“An ambulance and the forensics team are on their way,” she replies.

“Good,” he nods. “Though I would’ve preferred the scumbag to have survived so we know why he targeted Erin.”

“It was self-defense, sir,” Jay says as he sits up.

Erin gently pushes him back down. “Stay.”

“Why?”

“You blacked out. You could have a concussion.”

“She’s right, Jay,” says Antonio. “And for all we know, you could have a spinal injury.”

“Seriously, I’m fine.” He tries sitting up again.

Erin pushes him down a little more forcefully this time. “I _will_ hold you down if I have to,” she says, hands still on his shoulders.

He smirks, remembering her pinning him to the bed last night as she rode him. “I won’t protest you doing that.” His eyes sparkling with desire before he adds, “ _Ever_.”

She gives him a warning look.

****

“So Mills,” Jay says, sitting on the gurney in the ambulance. “What’s the verdict?”

Mills looks at him for a long minute.

“Come on, man,” Jay says.

Mills sighs, sitting down. “You don’t appear to have a concussion.”

Jay nods, smiling. “That’s good.”

“You’ve got plenty of bruises, so… you’re gonna be sore for the next few days.”

Jay feigns thinking. “I think I can live with that.”

“But…”

Jay grimaces. “There’s always a but.”

“I’d like to take you to Chicago Med.”

“No.”

“Just to make sure there’s nothing bad going on that we can’t see.”

“I said _no_ ,” Jay says. “You can’t make me.”

“Hey,” Erin says, appearing in the back doorway. “Go get checked out.”

Jay looks at her, pleadingly.

“I can pull rank on you.”

He looks confused. “We’re the same rank,” he replies. “And stop talking like we’re military.”

She pouts slightly. “Maybe I should go all military on your ass.”

He tilts his head slightly, giving her a quizzical look.

“Just… go to the damn hospital, Jay.”

He smirks. “God, you’re so—”

“ _NO_ ,” she interrupts him, hand up warningly. “Don’t you _dare_ finish that.”

He smiles, chuckling. After a moment of thought, he looks at Mills. “Alright. I’ll go.”

Mills nods. He stands and crosses to the doors. He grabs one while Erin gets the other.

“Thank you,” he whispers. “For getting him to change his mind.”

Erin glances at Jay. “He can be stubborn sometimes,” she says, eyes returning to Mills. “But I can be _very_ persuasive.”

Mills smiles. Erin looks at Jay, maintaining eye contact with him until the doors are fully shut. She stands there and watches the ambulance head off, before turning and walking back inside to the others.

****

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all enjoyed that! Can't guarantee when the next chapter will be up (borrowing a computer atm and I'm not sure exactly how frequently I will be able to have access to it). But it will be up as soon as I can!
> 
> Planning on introducing Will Halstead (aka Jay's brother) next chapter, inspired by this week's episode (which I'm about to watch). So that'll be interesting. And that's why Jay was reluctant to go to the hospital at the end (see, I clever. I set that all up.... from an idea I made up about 40 minutes ago!)
> 
> Stay tuned! And feel free to leave a comment! I love all the feedback! :)


	8. The Recovery Of Your Loveable Fool

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jay's examined by Will and Erin gets a surprise visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so this is a fairly short chapter (& I guarantee the next one will be fairly short too) but since I've made you all wait an extremely long time for it, I thought I'd just post what I have. Besides, the last few lines of this chapter actually make a really good chapter ending.
> 
> I'll *hopefully* have Chapter 9 up in the next few days, & I've decided there'll be a Chapter 10 just cause I hate the idea of having an odd number of chapters. I get like that sometimes.
> 
> Anyway... this is just an intermission kinda chapter. Will be wrapping up everything as much as I can next chapter. (I say that cause Ch 10 is technically a bonus chapter and is purely the promised "tension relieving" scene, which one of my friends has made me promise to do... though I was tossing round the idea before that...)
> 
> Anyway, enjoy. Oh, as for my other Linstead fic ('Never Let Me Go') -- I'm gonna be updating that one shortly too. I'm finally pushing myself to stop drawing and slacking off, and get back to writing.

“When they said there was a cop in here in need of an examination, I didn’t think it’d be you,” Dr Will Halstead says as he walks into the hospital room, drawing his brother’s attention away from his cell.

Will takes his brother in – sitting there on the bed, legs hanging off one side; his shirt removed, exposing the bruises scattered all over his abdomen.

“Nor was I expecting so many injuries,” Will adds, stopping near Jay.

Jay forces a smile. “This is actually not the worst I’ve had.”

“Are we talking about just your time as a cop, or your military history as well?”

“Just P.D,” Jay replies. “You’re _never_ learning what happened while I was enlisted.”

Will steps closer. “Stubborn,” he says. “As always.”

Jay smiles. “Had to be,” he replies, “growing up with you.”

Will raises his eyebrow. “I wasn’t that bad.” Frowns. “Was I?”

Jay just looks at him, a smirk flickering at one corner of his mouth.

“Lie down,” Will says.

Jay does, Will shifting to stand over him. Will starts feeling Jay’s abdomen with both hands, looking for any signs of internal bleeding.

“How long is this gonna take?”

Will looks at him. “You got somewhere to be?”

Jay stares off into the distance, eyes glazing over.

“Ahhh,” Will says with a smile. “A hot date.”

Jay smirks. “Something like that.”

“With that hot chick you work with?” Will keeps going with the examination. “What’s her name?” Will thinks. “Lindsay?”

“Just hurry up and clear me.”

“I’m not going to rush this—”

“ _Will_ ,” Jay pleads.

“Just so you can get laid.”

Jay punches his arm. _HARD_.

“Hey! Treat me like your doctor!”

“I will when you treat me like a patient.”

Will smirks. “As you wish.”

He continues with his examination. Jay realises what his brother has planned. Jay grabs Will’s wrist, stopping him. Gripping his brother’s wrist hard, he says, “Hurt me… and I’ll repay you… _tenfold_.”

****

Erin shuffles to her front door, half asleep. She opens it, finding Jay leaning against the door frame. He still looks pale – except for the bruise on his cheek and the cut on his bottom lip.

“Jay,” she says, surprised.

“Hey,” he replies.

“I thought you’d be in Chicago Med all night.”

He shrugs. “Will cleared me. There’s nothing that can keep me in hospital, so stop using it as an excuse not to have me in your bed next to you.”

Her eyebrow raises. “How very unsubtle of you, Halstead.”

He rests his head on the doorframe, eyes half shut. “It’s been a rough few days. I just want to fall asleep next to you.”

She rolls her eyes, sighing, knowing what he’s doing. “Come on, get in before I change my mind, my foolish partner.”

He steps in, stopping right in front of her so their faces are less than an inch apart. “I may be a fool, but I’m your loveable fool.”

She just pushes him past her further into her apartment and shuts the door before she follows him.

She climbs into bed, lying down on her right side. He shifts so he’s pressed against her back, his body fitting perfectly with hers, like two broken halves reunited. He wraps his arm around her and she relaxes against him. She lays her left hand over his, linking her fingers with his as it lays on her tummy. He presses a soft goodnight kiss to her shoulder. And that’s how she falls asleep.

****

**Author's Note:**

> That's it for now. Stay tuned for chapter 2


End file.
